WONDERFUL WEEKENDS AWAY ON YOUR DOORSTEP
Now is a great time to think of a mini break in Blighty, and travel editor David Wickers has hand-picked his favourite homegrown getaways
No need to travel far for your well-deserved break
Family fun
Fowey Hall, a Grade Ii-listed manor with gorgeous views overlooking the Fowey estuary, successfully combines creature comforts for grown-ups (swanky bedrooms, stunning cuisine, spa) with a full range of facilities for kids. The hub of the action is the Ofsted-registered Four Bears Den, where childcare is freely available for 90 minutes each day. There are plenty of pre-arranged activities, a kids’ library, games room, indoor pool and high teas. Parents can even dine alone, armed with baby monitors. Fowey Hall is one of five properties belonging to Luxury Family Hotels – its mantra is to put ‘families at the heart of holidays’. For more, visit foweyhallhotel.co.uk.
Cosy Cotswolds
Calling a coaching inn new and old may sound like a contradiction, but both terms sit in snug comfort in the village of Clanfield, near Oxford. The 19-room, wisteria-clad, 17th-century Double Red Duke has been acquired and transformed into a blissful retreat by Sam and Georgie Pearman. It’s the third in their trio of Cotswold ‘pubs plus’ (along with The Swan at Ascott-under-wychwood and The Chequers in Churchill). A particularly memorable treat is the food, cooked over open fires by ex-hawksmoor chef Richard Turner. Dogs and kids welcome. For more, visit countrycreatures.com.
Irish welcome
Quay House, overlooking the Owenglin Estuary at Clifden in County Galway, was built 200 years ago for the harbour master. It then became a Franciscan monastery, later a convent, and now functions as a most delightful guest house. All but three of its 15 rooms have harbour views, several have working fireplaces and no two rooms are alike. It’s full of antiques, photos, paintings, auction finds, cosy fires and warm welcomes from Paddy and Julia Foyle. Nearby is the site where Marconi sent one of the first transatlantic wireless transmissions to Nova Scotia. For more, visit thequayhouse.com.
Home counties
Cliveden, a most stately of stately piles, offers priceless views overlooking the Thames near Taplow. Once the home of Lady Astor, the first female MP, it has hosted every British monarch since George I, although it’s even better known as the backdrop to the Profumo affair. The hotel’s atmosphere is surprisingly laid-back, welcoming kids and dogs, all of which can romp in the 276 acres of National Trust gardens. There’s an indoor pool (and that famous outdoor one), hot tubs, a spa, tennis courts, a cocktail bar and two restaurants. For more, visit clivedenhouse.co.uk.
Cambridge graduate
The 19th-century landmark University Arms was reopened after a massive four-year rebuild, then closed for lockdown, but is now once again welcoming guests. Overlooking the 25-acre Parker’s Piece, Cambridge’s ‘Central Park’, it’s again the best digs in town. With its light blue university colours, prints of old Cambridge, a cosy library for high tea and the relaxed, convivial, poster- and print-clad Parker’s Tavern restaurant, it offers a real sense of place. And it’s just a walk (or a quick ride on a hotel bike) from the colleges, galleries, shops and punting on the river Cam with its famous ‘Backs’ – in fact, everything you’ll want to see. For more, visit universityarms.com.
Capital opening
Alongside scores of hotels that have reopened with the easing of Covid restrictions are a handful of newcomers. One such is Montcalm East, a soaring, sharp high-rise in Shoreditch in the hip heart of the ‘new’ East London. With cool bars and restaurants, independent shops and Spitalfields market right on the doorstep, the 288-room hotel is suitably contemporary, its design sleek and its approach to hospitality cool. There’s an indoor pool, spa and gym, the Moor & Mead restaurant, lots of artworks and even a photo lab.
For more, visit montcalmeast.com.
Island living
Half the rooms in the Star Castle Hotel on St Mary’s in the Scillies are within the original 16th-century castle, which was built to defend against Spanish invasion. It also houses the historic candlelit Castle Dining Room. The remaining rooms are in the garden, where there’s an indoor pool and, in the summer, the Conservatory seafood restaurant, serving lobster caught in pots belonging to owner Robert Francis, and wine from his vineyard. For more, visit star-castle.co.uk.
Suffolk on sea
Southwold, with its working lighthouse, colourful beach huts, cannon on the common, popular pier and busy harbour, is a coastal gem. Right at its heart, overlooking the market square, stands the 17th-century The Swan Hotel. And as one regular confided to me: ‘Two days here is worth two weeks anywhere else.’ Owned by Adnams, champion brewer of real ale (its brewery is in the middle of town), The Swan has been given a contemporary makeover (bright new feathers!) and is one of the most elegant of English seaside retreats. For more, visit theswansouthwold.co.uk.